Armature coil positioning device



Juy 16, 1935. H. L. WHWFEL@ ARMATURE COIL POSITIONING DEVICE Filed Sept. 6, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet l v NTQR M755 /f//M ,ab ATTORNZW JV .uy 169 1935. H. L. WHWFELD 2,0826@ ARMATURE COIL POSITIONING DEVCE Filed Sept. 6, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 llll l l IIII il Il I ,V jj M L l: :u T. N

H. L. WHlTFE-lu@ ARMATURE COIL POSITIONING DEV Filed sept. 6, 1934 4; Sheets-Sheet July '16, 1935.

H. l.. WHITFHELD ARMATURE COIL POSITIONING DEVICE 4 Sheets-Sheet Fil'ed Sept. 6, 1934 1N ENTOR ATTORNEM Patented July 16, 1935 PATENT OFFICE 2,008,268 ARMATURE COIL rosrrroNlNG DEVICE Harry L. Whitfield, Anderson, Ind., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application September 6, 1934, Serial No. 742,942

6 Claims.

This invention relates to armature assembling devices and more particularly to a device for positioning active coil sides in armature core slots.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for positioning active coil sides in skewed armature core slots.

It is another object of the present invention to adapt the device for positioning active coil sides in differently skewed armature core slots.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device, certainr parts being shown in section.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the device.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the device, certain parts being shown in section.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Y

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken von the line 6 6 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section taken on the line l-l of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings and particularly Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive, a base IG, which may rest on a work bench or any other suitable support (neither shown), provides a track I2, locating and supporting two brackets I4 and I6. These two brackets provide bearings to be described for rotatably supporting an armature assembly I8 which includes an armature shaft 20, a commutator 22 and an armature core 24, having skewed core slots 26. Bracket i4 is provided with asplit boss 28, longitudinally slidably supporting a Acylindrical bar 30 one end of which press-fittedly receives a bearing 32 for journaling one end of the armature shaft 20. Bar 3B is also provided with a manually operable lever 36. The thickness of the lever 3E is such that, upon manual rocking of the same into alignment with the split 40 of boss 28, it may be moved into said split thereby retracting bar 30 as well as bearing32 from the armature shaft in order to remove the armature assembly from the device after all core slots have received their assigned coil sides. Bracket I6 provides a semi-annular bearing half which together with a cap 42 provides a cylindrical bearing for a sleeve 44 which is longitudinally iinmovable with respect to its bearing by reason of two shoulders 50 and 52 which abut-both end-faces of said bearing. Bearing cap 42 is attached to bracket I6 by means of two countersunk screws 54 and a nut 56 which is threaded over a boit 51, projecting from bracket I6 and extending through a flange 58 of bearing cap 42 as best shown in Fig. 6. Nut 56 is provided with a knurled head 59 for manual rotation in order to adjust the friction between the bearing and the sleeve 44. Journaled in the sleeve 44 is the cylindrical stem 6D having an -equi-angularly split frusto-conical head 62, forming jaws 63 to be clamped against the other end of the armature shaft 20 by means of an internally tapered ring 64 and upon longitudinal movement of the stem toward the right as viewed in Fig. 2. Such longitudinal movement of the stem 60 is accomplished by means of a threaded connection 65 between said stem and a cylindrical bar 68 which is journaled in sleeve 44 and provided with a collar 10, bearing against thrust washers 12 which in turn are bearing against an end-face of sleeve 44. A manually operable lever 14 is secured to bar 68 for rotating the same. The stern 6U is splined at 6l to the sleeve 44 for unitary rotation with the latter. In order to longitudinally move the stem 60 upon manual rotation o1- bar 68 it is imperative that the former be prevented from rotating. This is accomplished by providing the sleeve 44 with a longitudinal groove 'i6 and locating therein a latch 18 which is pivotally mounted at to one of the attaching screws 54 o and located in a groove 11, formed jointly by the bracket I6 and bearing cap 42 as best shown in Fig. 3. The latch 18 may be rotated into the dotand-dash position shown in Fig. 2 in order to clear groove 16 of sleeve 44. In order to remove an armature assembly from the bearing 32 and the jaws 63 and place a new assembly therein, the operator will throw latch 18 into the full line position shown in Fig. 2 and manipulate lever 74 so as to rotate bar 68 in order to release the gripping jaws 63 from the armature shaft. Thereafter the operator will rock lever 36 into alignment with the split 40 and longitudinally shift bar 3D and bearing 32 away from the armature shaft by pushing lever 36 into the split 4G a suiiicient distance so that the armature shaft may be shifted longitudinally out of the open jaws 53 and then laterally removed from between the jaws and the bearing 32. The armature shaft of a new assembly is then inserted longitudinally into the openjaws 63 until a shoulder 69 of the armature shaft engages the jaws. Thereafter bar 30 and bearing 32 are shifted longitudinally by manipulation of lever 36 until the bearing 32 engages the end face 19 of the commutator 22 of the assembly.

At that time the lever 36 has been moved beyond the split 46 and is then rocked substantially into the position shown in Fig. 2 in order to lock bar 36 and bearing 32 in the position shown in that figure. By properly manipulating lever 14 while the latch 18 is in the full line position shown in Fig. 2 the jaws 63 will grip the armature shaft.

` After the operator throws latch 18 into the dotand-dash position shown in Fig. 2, lever 14 can be used for indexingthe armature-assembly without releasing the jaws from gripping engagement with the armature shaft as can be readily understood The brackets |i and i6 are provided with platforms @t and 92, respectively, which support bases 94 and 96, respectively, having inclined Vtracks 98 and lil, respectively, for receiving standard bearing brackets |92. The bases 94 and 96 are secured to their respective platforms and the bearing brackets |62 are secured to the bases by means of bolts |64 as best shown in Fig. 4. The bases 94 and 66 are furthermore accurately located on their respective platforms by means of dowel pins |66 which project from the platforms. The bearing brackets |62 rotatably support a coil positioning device to be describedpresently which more particularly aligns the second active side of an armature coil with acore slot 26 and inserts the aligned coil side into said core slot, the rst active sides of thev armature coils havingkbeen previously deposited in thecore slots in any suitable manner. Journaled in the bearing brackets |02 is a shaft il@ on which is mounted in any suitable manner a U-shaped operating lever ||2 consistingof two=parallelarms ||4 which are joined together at their open ends by@ handle bar H6. The parallel arms ||4 are furthermore joined together by means of a cross member IIS which is welded or otherwise secured thereto.

The shaft l i is held against longitudinal move-V mentby means of 'a spring |93 which is interposed between an arm i 4 of the operating lever |2 and a bearing bracket |62 and` normally retains a collar IDE, pinned to the shaft I Hl, in engagement with the other bearing bracket |02.V Journaled on the shaft are two spaced vdiscs |20, having eccentric peripheries |22 on which arejournaled thel parallel arms |24 of an intermediate U-shaped lever |26. Attached by suitable'screwsto the yoke |22 of said intermediate lever is an inverted by oblong ,slots |44 which are provided by the arms |24 of lever |26, whereby thetwo levers V|26 and |34 are prevented from rotating relative to each other as can be readily understood. Pivotally mounted'at |46 to thelever |34 isaclevis|48 to which is attached a long tube telescoping with another tube i 52 which is attached to a ring |54, having two diametrically opposed projecting pins |56 which are journaledpin spaced lugs |58 ofthe cross bar Ai I3 as best shown in Fig. 3. Threaded into the clevis |48 and passing through therbo'ttom |66 of tube |52 isa rod ||i2which is surrounded by a compression spring |64, interposed between theclevis |48 anda washer |66 on the bottom |60 of tube |52... The parallel plates |33 and |38 are normally resting against the periphery ofthe armature core 24 by gravitykof the levers ||2, normally separates the operating lever H2 from the levers |26, |34 so that lever I2 normally assumes the position shown in Figs. l or 4, in which the rod |32 and discs |26 assume the position shown in Fig. 4 so that plate |36 is most retracted from plate |38 as can be readily understood. An ejector blade |16 is slidable along plate` |38 and retained thereon by means of a plurality of screws |12, received by said plate and passing through oblong slots |14 of blade l'i. A coiled spring |16 is attached with one end to the yoke |28jof lever |25, the other end thereof projecting through a hole |13 of blade |10 so as normally to retract the same into the position shown in Fig. 4.

In operating the machine, an operator properly deposits an armature assembly i3 in the bearing 32 and the jaws 63 and clamps the same in the earlier described manner to the armature shaft' 2|). The operator next throws the latch 18 from the [full-line position into thedot-anddashvposition shown in Fig. 2 so as to beV able manually to index the armature assemblyby manipulating the lever 14. By slightly-raising the operating lever l2 beyond the position shown in Fig. 4 the levers |26 and |34 with their plates |33 and |38, respectively, are slightly withdrawn from the core periphery whereupon the operator rotates the assembly until a coil side |86,

resting loosely on the core periphery, aligns with the Vextremely spaced plates |38, |38, permitting these plates then to be lowered toward the core periphery so that the aligned coil side will be located intermediate these two'plate's. TheV operator, while retaining the plates |36, |38 in close proximity to .the core periphery further rotates the assembly until the core slot 26 which is to from the position shown in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 5 whereby the rod |32 rotates the discs |20 in such manner that the eccentric peripheries thereof cause an approaching movement of the plate |36 toward the relativelystationary plate l |38. Such approaching movement of the plate |36 toward its companion plate |38 causes the intermediate coil side |33 to be squeezed into such thickness that it may easily pass through the entrance |82 of the'aligned core slot 2e. ShortlyV before the operating lever reaches the position shown in Fig.l 5 the cross bar H3 engages and moves the ejector blade |1ii from the position shown in Fig. 4 into that shown in Fig.5 against |16 to maintain the the tendency of spring ejector blade in the position shown in Fig. 4,v

|26 and |34. vThe spring |64 thereby forcing the squeezed Ycoil side through.

the' core slot entrance into the core slot proper and on top of the previously deposited coil sideV panion plates |353, |38 and by repeating the just* mentioned operations, positions the same inthe consecutive core slot/on top vof a previouslyv deposited coil side. These operations are repeated by the operator until all core slots have received a second coil side whereupon the finished armature assembly is removed from the machine and another one deposited thereon in the earlier explained manner.

In order that the companion plates and |38, which together form a guide groove for a coil side into a core slot, may substantially engage the core periphery along a skewed core slot 26, the core engaging surfaces of these plates are slightly concave as best shown in Fig. 2.

The present device may be applied for the positioning of second coil sides into diiferently skewed armature core slots as lon-g as certain dimensions of the armature assemblies do not materially vary from standard dimensions of an armature assembly upon which the construction of the device was based. It is therefore imperative that the armature shafts of armature assemblies having differently skewed core slots are substantially alike at least as far as dimensions of the supported shaft ends are concerned. It is likewise imperative that the core lengths of armature assemblies having differently skewed armature core slots are substantially the same. If these conditions prevail, the device may be applied for the positioning of second coil sides into differently skewed core slots by merely exchanging the bases 94, 95 with others, having differently aligned tracks, whereby the coil side positioning device, which is rotatable in the standard bearings |02, is properly aligned with differently skewed core slots of other armature assemblies. In the present instance three pairs of companion bases |90, |92 and |94 are shown in Fig. l. Each pair of bases is provided with a diiferently inclined track for positioning the standard bearings |02 of the coil positioning device. Each one of these bases is provided with holes |96 and |98, respectively, for receiving the dowel pins |06, and a hole 200 through which the fastening screws |04 are adapted to project. It can thus be understood that by simply replacing the bases for the standard bearings |02, the entire device may in the present instance be applied for at least four species of differently skewed armature core slots.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

1. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting armatures having skewed core slots; means for inserting a coil side into an aligned core slot; and interchangeable means for correlating the insert.-

ing means with differently skewed armature core slots.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting armatures having skewed core slots; means for inserting a coil side into an aligned core slot; and interchangeable means for supporting the inserting means and for correlating the same with differently skewed armature core slots.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting armatures having skewed core slots; a mechanism for aligning a coil side with a core slot and for inserting the aligned coil side therein; bearings for rotatably supporting the mechanism; and interchangeable bearing supporting bases for correlating the mechanism with diiferently skewed armature core slots.

4. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting armatures having skewed core slots; a mechanism for aligning a coil side with a core slot and for inserting the aligned coil side therein; bearings for rotatably supporting the mechanism; and interchangeable bases having tracks differently inclined relative to a supported armature axis and adapted to receive the bearings thereon for correlating the. mechanism with differently skewed armature core slots.

5. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting an armature having skewed core slots; means for inserting a coil side into an aligned core slot, said means including two parallel spaced plates between which the coil side is located and which form a groove guiding said coil side into the aligned core slot, said plates being movable into engagement with the core periphery and the core engaging surfaces being concave so as to engage the core periphery along both sides of the skewed core slot.

6. In a device of the character described, the combination of means for rotatably supporting armatures having skewed core slots; a mechanism for inserting a coil side into an aligned core slot, said mechanism including two parallel spaced plates between which the coil side is located and which form a groove guiding said coil side into the aligned core slot, said plates being movable into engagement with the core periphery and the core engaging surfaces being concave so as Substantially to engage the core periphery along both sides of differently skewed slots of different armature cores; and means for correlating the mechanism with armatures having dillerently skewed core slots so that the plates extend parallel to the slots of an armature core.

HARRY L. WHITFIELD. 

